february blues,

“ now, hold on. i feel like that isn’t really fair since you’re the only baker i got to. ” he teases rory. he knew he wouldn’t ever dream of changing bakeries now as he liked the treats and the little friendship he’d harbored with the cohen girl. he nods at her comment, he couldn’t stand the sight of another pumpkin pie or soup. thankfully, he rarely ever used that ingredient on his daily job. “ it looks like it tastes delicious. ” rio says before he takes a bite, humming as he nods. “ and it does. how do you always get it right it’s beyond me. i’ll take four pieces to go, please. can’t go home without a treat for my ma too. ” he chuckles. “ yeah, well, hold on for as long as you can. a grandma’s main purpose is to spoil the hell out of our kids. ”

“And that better stay that way, Rio. You wouldn’t dare betray me for the competition, would you?” She points a finger at him for the sake of the joke, but she wouldn’t mind if he’d ended up going to any other baker in town. Rory herself liked to support the small business owners from time to time. “I suppose that I’m gifted that way.” She shrugs, a chuckle following. “Four pieces? Now that’s what I call a successful tasting. Thank you for the feedback, this pie has passed the test.” Proudly smiling, Rory starts to pack his pieces to go. “Oh, I’m well aware. My own grandmas were terrible when it came to us, and June’s the only granddaughter my mom has so far so you can imagine how she’s been acting since we moved back here.”

If the scandal would’ve happened during her teenage years, it’s likely that Rory wouldn’t even have the courage to leave her house with the fear of judgement. But her kind soul had been hardened with the years and she had grown tired of the way people’s faces would change upon seeing her — as if she’d been the one to shame her family, not the man who was supposed to the their beloved and perfect patriarch. She looks back at Bryony as they walk towards the stand, taking a peak down at the dress once again. “And do you plan on doing more? Because if so, I’d love one myself. It looks absolutely lovely on you. I’ll trade you a dress for a dessert of your choice.” She jokes lightheartedly. “I’ve never been a good artisan myself, the best I can do with these hands happens in the kitchen. But that’s enough for me, I don’t have enough time for sewing classes with a four year old following my every step.”

Rory hadn’t talked to anyone other than her immediate family and some close friends about the situation their family had been facing. When the news of the affair broke out, she was even tempted to call her husband, but then she remembered that she no longer had that privilege since she’d given that up. It had been particularly hard navigating through the turmoil but she was thankful to have a mom that, even in her own grief, did everything in her power to make sure her kids weren’t taking things so hard. “I say burn it. What he’s gonna do — divorce you?” She joins in Cate’s humor, smirking lightly. “What was he calling you for, anyways? I thought the divorce would’ve been finalized by now.” That word is painful to sputter, especially because she never thought she’d be going through it at the same time as her parents.

atticus, as introvert as he’s always been, has never been one to hold back his tongue or walk around a sensible subject. to him, it’s a valuable trait to have, though it’s not how everyone else sees it. his family were already accustomed to his ways, knowing that he’d be completely honest no matter what, but outsiders still had some weird reactions to this. he can see the shift in rory’s features but he doesn’t turn away from it. “ and not talking about it makes it better for you? ” it’s a genuine question, as he casually sips on his coffee. “ i find it that it’s always better to face things head on before it turns into a snowball that you can no longer control. of course, you can deal with it in your own way, but the damage’s already done. the news are already out and you’ve all suffered through the consequences. is it really helping to ignore it? ” 

Aurora has never been a confrontational person. Of course, she wouldn’t run away from uncomfortable conversations, but sometimes she just needed the time to think. You’d imagine that five months would be enough but she was beginning to think that she wasn’t build to handle this much at once. “If i don’t talk about it, I don’t think about — therefore, it doesn’t exist.” Her tone is sarcastic as she gives him a look. It doesn’t seem as if Atticus is stopping anytime soon and she sighs deeply at that. “The snowball already hit the wall and splashed all over us, Atty, you’ve just said it yourself. We’re still dealing with the consequences of an idiot’s actions. But this isn’t my burden to carry, can’t you see that I already have enough on my plate?”

Victoria Pedretti Laughs and Cries Her Way to Accepting The Gift of Her Sensitivity

The blush in her cheeks are a mix of the alcohol and the shame that builds inside her stomach. She knows she smells like vodka, she knows she’ll have to shower before picking her daughter up from her mother’s house. And she doesn’t even know what possessed her to do such a thing. No, that’s not true, she does know — she’s just not brave enough to admit it. How she found herself dialing Hiro’s number is still a mystery, but perhaps a hidden understanding that he’d be the only one to not judge her. She climbs in his car, buckling herself up but never meeting his eyes. “Thank you for picking me up.” She sighs, deeply. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know what I was thinking. You know I don’t just… go out on my own and drink like this. But…” She trails, resting her head on the window. “Something was different today, that’s all.”

“Firstly, there’s no such thing as a sad strawberry. Secondly, those are the best batches to make jam with — so you don’t waste any happier strawberries. Sounds like we’ve gotten ourselves a deal with this.” Rory’s cooking always comes with the thought of producing something delicious with as minimal waste as possible and she’s come to learn a few tricks along the way. She’s always hated when things went bad in the fridge, it was a heartache to throw food away. “Well, you do look like a bombshell today.” She tries to lighten up the mood, side smirk thrown at Bryony. “C’mon, let me check those strawberries out and see if it’s worth giving the stand owner our money.”

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“ you know that i am. you’re the reason i’ve gained a few pounds lately, rory. ” he shakes his head in disapproval but there’s a modest smile on the corner of his lips. as a food lover himself, even if sweets weren’t his favorites, he still had to give the baker credits for her work. he scrunches up his nose at the first options, “ not a fan of sweet potato and already kind of over anything pumpkin related. but that maple apple pie sounds insanely tempting. do you have a freebie of that one as well? ” he mostly jokes but his eyes still roam through the stand. “ i don’t think i should feed my son any more chocolate so i think we’ll go with the other option. ”

she chuckles lightly at the accusation, shaking her head at rio. “you can’t blame me for being the best baker in town.” she teases, her shoulders pull back into a shrug and there’s a smug smirk on her lips. “that’s understandable. i love the smell of pumpkin but it can be especially overwhelming during this time of year. and yes, that’s the one you’re looking for.” rory points. “it’s a new recipe so we’re testing the waters here at the festival. take a bite and let me know your thoughts.” she smiles warmly at him. “well, you’re not wrong. kids high on chocolate can be scary. i’ve been trying my best to keep my daughter away from such addictive evils but my mom is terrible sometimes.”

the smile on aurora’s face is prideful, the one the mayor’s daughter would use whenever someone would compliment something about the town. the danes were mostly responsible for the festival, but she knows there’s still a touch of ben cohen in everything that happens in aspen creek. she clears her throat when she remembers that. “it’s been a little chaotic, yes, but it’s nice to experience aspen creek at its full again. i missed that small town charm that the big city just doesn’t have.”

YOU (2018- ) Season 3 Episode 8 - Swing and a Miss

“ so, hanukkah will be awkward as fuck this year. ” atticus comments, lightheartedly. it’s not a subject he likes to indulge on, trying to avoid it as much as he could, but they were still family. and aurora’s father was still an important member of said family. he picks at the piece of sweet bread he’s eating, the smell of coffee filling up the air as he makes small conversation with his cousin. “ will you even attend? i mean, i heard you’re not talking the patriarch. can i say his name or will it make this too weird? ”

the affair and the scandal were still a touchy subject for rory, who usually wouldn’t even think twice before shutting the conversation down. she’d been asked about it more times than she’d like to, which had lead her down some awkward and uncomfortable interactions with the more nosy crowd of aspen creek. but this was a family member — a cousin, not directly affected, but still — and so she tries to let her guard down a little. “i’d prefer if we talked about something else,” she mumbles, scrubbing down the surfaces of the counter. “but yeah. probably. i don’t know. to be honest, i haven’t really thought about that. kind of avoiding everythin’ related to… it.”

“i guess that’s easier said than done.” rory scrunches up her nose. for someone who had a degree within the culinary realm and was the owner of a bakery, she was actually very well contained when it came to indulging in food. especially the delicious and almost irresistible sweet treats baked at the sugarplum. “yeah, you’re more than welcome to stop by.” she smiles. “so, how are you enjoyin’ the festival?”

rio doesn’t exactly have a sweet tooth, quite the opposite really, but sometimes he likes to indulge on a sweet treat whenever he can. rory cohen’s pies were a must on days where he knew both him and his wife would need it — so he’d stop by the bakery and take them home a little treat. he smiles as he approaches the stand, already eyeing for his favorite ones. “ are these all themed? ” rio chuckles lightly, impressed. “ they all look so good, as usual. but i think i’ll try a new flavor today. what do you recommend? and one for the kid, too. he’s back there playing but i just know he’ll need the fuel soon. ”

“why, yes, they are. are you impressed by my work, mr martinez?” rory doesn’t like to brag, but she tends to go all-out for any themed holiday. this being the first time she’s at the harvest festival as a vendor also called for something more special. she wanted to impress. “a new flavor, huh? well, we have the most common ones that are pumpkin and sweet potato. but i would recommend the maple and cream apple pie. that’s a new one and i’m kind of obsessed. i think the kid’s going to like it, too. and if not, i do have a chocolate cream pie that is to die for.”